A Mercenary's Tale
by CredensJustitiam
Summary: A vile plague called the Scourge has fallen upon Hyrule. Link, a lowly sellsword, finds himself entrusted with the duty of royal bodyguard- not entirely by choice. At Impa's behest, he must escort young Zelda to the Temple of Nayru.
1. Prologue

Princess Zelda, from her hiding place behind the throne, could clearly see the fear in the faces of her father's guards. She was frightened too, but she dared not move or make a sound.

She could not see the face of her father, but his words were enough.

"Lord Ganondorf Dragmire, I have happily granted many of your requests in the past, but I will not grant you this. You are asking for secrets the royal family is bound to protect with their lives." The King's tone was resolute, but his voice wavered.

"You wound me, Daphnes. Have you not yourself said that I am part of the royal family? Have I not contributed enough of my time and manpower expanding and guarding your kingdom?"

"You will address the king as _Your Highness,_" demanded one of the guards closest to the the throne, but Zelda saw her father's hand stretch to hush the guard.

"I am thankful for your services, and your friendship, Lord Dragmire, but I must uphold the Hyrule family's pact." The King's voice did not shake this time.

A hand clamped firmly on Zelda's shoulder. She stifled a squeak of surprise with both hands.

"You shouldn't be here, Princess," Impa whispered into her ear.

"I want to know what's going on," the little princess replied. "Just one moment..."

Lord Dragmire's lips curled into a frightful parody of a smile.

"Very well, _Your Highness._ I will take my leave. I am sure, however, that you will change your mind soon."

"You've seen, now we're going!" Impa took Zelda's hand and hurried her away from her peephole behind the throne. They made their way quietly through the damp tunnel back to the garden. Impa's feet were silent even against the wet stones, and she moved so quickly that Zelda nearly tripped over her skirt trying to keep up.

"I don't like that man," Zelda announced, a bit breathless, once they were well out of anyone's earshot.

"I don't either, but he is your father's ally." They pushed their way past a bush and out of the dark passage, into the light of the courtyard.

"How'd you find me, Impa? I didn't even leave my shoes out this time." Zelda reached into a flower bed to pick up her shoes. Impa smiled.

"I took an educated guess. You're not exactly unpredictable, Princess."

Zelda pouted. "Maybe I should find a better hiding spot."

"You can't hide from a Shiekah. There's a reason your father chose me as your guardian." Impa picked a leaf out of Zelda's hair and smoothed her wrinkled dress. "Look, you've got your dress all dirty again. What are we going to do with you?"

"What I need is some boys' clothes." Zelda smirked at the thought, but her smile quickly faded. She looked pleadingly into Impa's eyes. "Why is everyone so afraid of Lord Dragmire?"

Impa wasn't moved; she knew nearly all of the princess' information-gathering tactics by now.

"Child, you're too young to worry about these things. Your father will take care of everything."

Zelda wasn't satisfied, but she nodded solemnly and picked up her story book from the garden bench.


	2. Chapter 1

Something was missing from Castle Town. The _noise_ had left; the shouts and squeals of children chasing cuccos, the bellowing of merchants all trying to outsell each other, the ambient roar of conversation and bargaining and street musicians- gone. It was as if the very buildings held their breath, waiting for something.

Many of the shops were closed and the curtains drawn, an unusual sight on a weekday in the royal city. Only a few small groups of people hurried along the footpaths, speaking in hushed voices and ducking through doors as if to dodge some invisible thing, some menace that Link could not see. Though it was midsummer, they clothed themselves tightly in long robes and scarves.

The Happy Hearth was open, but empty. The bells on the door jingled loudly as it slammed shut behind him, and the noise brought the old inkeeper shuffling out of the back room.

"Link!" he exclaimed. "What a surprise to see you again."

"I see you haven't forgotten me yet, Jules." Link smiled.

"Hard to forget the mercenary in green. How long will you be staying?"

"Just two nights. I'm preparing for a trip into the Gerudo Desert. I just hope the shops will be open tomorrow. Where _is_ everyone?"

Jules' eyes widened. "You haven't heard?"

"I've only been in back in Hyrule for a couple of days."

"I'd suggest you don't stay long, if you've anywhere else to go. Things have been… troublesome, to put it mildly."

"What kind of trouble?" Link patted the bow and arrows at his side, but Jules only shook his head helplessly.

"A plague has fallen on Hyrule. A terrible sickness... rumors say that even some of the king's own courtiers have fallen ill. No one is safe from it and everyone is scared of it. I don't even know how many people have died already. They call it the Scourge."

"Just how long has this been going on?"

"A month now, I'd say." The inkeeper pushed a room key across the desk with a shaky hand.

Link found himself suddenly very eager to be back on the road again. Being achy and starving had its perks, compared to dying of some terrible mystery illness, at least. Regardless, he needed supplies, rest, and a new pair of boots. He paid the innkeeper, slung his bag over his shoulder, and headed up to his room for some much-needed sleep.

It was late afternoon when he woke again, refreshed, and strode out into the market- and then, two strong arms slipped under his. A pair of soldiers began dragging him away.

"What in Din's name-" Link began to protest.

"We're sorry, sir, it's the King's orders!" One soldier said.

"The King? Where are you taking me?"

"We're bringing you to the palace. Wouldn't worry too much about it, he didn't say anything about beheading. His daughter's had some- _vision-_" the soldier grunted as he pushed Link into a wooden cart.

"You could at least tell me why I'm being arrested instead of giving me some half-baked story!" Link tried to hop out of the cart, but he was pulled back in by another soldier.

"Sorry mate, it'll only take an hour or two."

"I don't _have_ an hour or-" Link turned around and found himself facing a cart full of blonde-haired, green-clothed men. He blinked, looked to the soldiers, and looked back to the other captives. His stare was met with a few defeated shrugs. Link groaned.

"It'll go faster if I don't ask, won't it?"


	3. Chapter 2

A line of blonde-haired, green-clothed men stood awkwardly before the throne. Some of them looked nervously about, watching the soldiers; some stared at their feet and scratched their heads. Others seemed awed by the beauty and majesty of the palace. Link remained unimpressed. The Spirit Temple in the Gerudo desert was much more grand, and at the same time, not so unnecessarily lavish. What a waste of silk and feathers this place was.

Link studied the face of the king, who, incidentally, also looked a bit bewildered.

"It is upon my daughter's request that I have called you all here," he began. "_Called" is not the word,_ Link wanted to say, but he bit down on his tongue before it could come out.

"As most of you know, the kingdom of Hyrule faces a dire situation. The Scourge fells more and more Hyrulians each day. But the princess had a vision last night."

Link struggled to keep his eyes from rolling.

"She dreamed that a blonde man dressed in green would save Hyrule and end the Scourge. The dream showed him walking through Castle Town, so I sent my men to round up all of you, and, well, here we are. Zelda?"

A tiny figure in a silk dress stepped out from the shadow of the throne.

"Do any of these men look like the hero you saw in your dream?" the king asked, clearly just to fill the silence; the princess's brilliant blue eyes were already examining each of the men from their hair to their boots. Link avoided eye contact as she passed him by.

_Great. Almost done. Now I can get out of here._ Link crossed his arms and looked at the sun through one of the colossal palace windows.

The princess's gaze latched onto him. Her eyes widened with recognition.

"That's him! He's the one I saw in my dream!" she pointed at Link with a dramatic, sweeping gesture, and her little curls bounced in front of her Triforce earrings. Her theatrics, along with the sheer absurdity of the situation, made it impossible for Link to hold his laughter in any longer.

"That's cute, that's really cute. Look, Princess... it's nice to dream. But I'm no hero. I'm just as lost as you are, and actually, I'd prefer to get out of Hyrule before I get sick too," Link replied, aware that his mirth could warrant a beheading, but unable to keep the grin off his face. The guillotine still sounded better than the plague.

The other men began to file toward the door, each looking curiously over their shoulders as the princess hopped down the steps to where Link stood.

"Please... please, you have to believe me. I've had visions before. I knew about the Scourge..."

"Kid-" Link pulled away as the little princess reached for his arm.

"I know about your mark," she said, much more quietly.

Link fell silent. The child did know something, but regardless, he couldn't let himself get involved. His left hand tingled, as if to remind him of his secret.

"You've got the wrong guy, Princess," he said, and turned away. He headed for the door at a brisk pace.

The princess made no move to stop him, but stood, head bowed, fighting back tears.


	4. Chapter 3

As Link approached the stable, Epona whinnied, as if to say, "Where on earth have you _been?_"

"Sorry, Epona. Hey, I brought you something." He offered a carrot. Epona snatched it up eagerly. "I got kidnapped, can you believe it?" He ran his fingers through her mane, and she bumped her forehead against his affectionately. Link sat down on a hay bale and took his ocarina out of his shirt; it was an old, scratched-up thing that he kept on a string around his neck. It had definitely seen better days, but its voice had stayed strong.

"We should go and visit Malon," he mused. Epona's ears twitched. Link smiled and began to play.

Sunset came, and the bells struck nine within the bell tower of the Temple Of Time. Link left Epona with some hay and retreated to his room in the inn. Without his ocarina as a distraction, his mind wandered again to the princess.

_"I know about your mark." _Perhaps she'd been bluffing, but no- it was too specific. Link had met many fortune-tellers during his travels, and he knew their tricks. Broad predictions and vague advice could be easily twisted to fit just about anyone. If it was a bluff, it was one that could have failed too easily. She might as well have not tried at all. Link pulled off his gauntlet and peeled the white wrappings off his hands. The brown triangle on his left hand seemed to stare back at him.

_"Show no one."_ Those had been the last words of his mother. He had honored them for fifteen years now, though he didn't know why.

He'd drop by Lon Lon in the morning, have a glass of milk, and set out for the border come noon. The princess _knew_ something, and it left a cold feeling in his stomach. Perhaps it would be best to just get out of Hyrule, before some mook snatched him up and carried him back to the throne room.

He covered his hands again with clean wrappings and flopped on the bed. It was a deliberate flop; Link believed in enjoying mattresses and clean blankets to the fullest. He pulled the blankets up to where they almost covered his head. They were well-worn, but that was what made them comfortable.

Sleep embraced him, mercifully ridding him of all his aches and weariness and doubts, but only seconds later- or so it felt- he was torn from his bliss by screams and shouting. Pushing himself up on one arm, he squinted out through the window. By the light of the torches on the street, he could just barely make out the scene below.

The princess clung to a white horse. A Shiekah woman was trying to fend off what appeared to be the palace guard. Princess Zelda screamed again as she was nearly thrown from the spooked horse. Link hastily threw on his clothes and half-fell down the stairs, pushing past panicked guests to look out the front windows. Zelda had fallen to the ground and the Shiekah had killed two of the guards. The white horse lay on its side, kicking and spilling blood onto the cobblestones.

_A kidnapping? No, the Shiekah are the Royal Family's servants..._

The Shiekah snatched up the princess and dashed into the inn. Zelda's eyes met Link's, and he found himself compelled to follow. Against his better judgment, he chased the pair through the inn and out to the stable, knowing that the palace guard was on their heels.

"You! You're the hero, from earlier!" Zelda shouted.

"What the hell's going on?" Link's hand found its way to his sword handle.

"Lord Dragmire has taken the castle. He has the palace guard under a spell, and he took the king prisoner," said the Shiekah woman, holding Zelda close.

"Please, help us... you have a horse, right?" Zelda begged.

Link faltered. Getting involved in this mess was definitely going to increase his chances of sustaining a stab wound, but he couldn't just leave them on their own.

"Yeah, I do. Listen, there's no time to saddle up. You there-" he pointed at the Shiekah, who nodded.

"Impa."

"Impa, you're going to sit in the back. The princess will ride between us. I think we can both agree that we'd rather not see her stuck full of arrows. We'll lose the guard in the woods and head for Lon Lon Ranch." He pulled himself up onto Epona's back with little effort and offered a hand-up to Zelda. Impa opened the stable doors as quietly as she could and checked the road.

"I don't see anyone. They're searching the inn," she said. Link felt a pang of worry for Jules, but there just wasn't time. Impa climbed up onto Epona's back with them, and they left at a cautious pace.

The three of them didn't speak a word as they left Castle Town behind.

"That was too easy," Link murmured. Impa grunted in agreement. The princess was shivering; Link could feel it against his back. The edge of the woods was in sight. He urged Epona into a gallop, toward the safety of the shadows.

"Everyone all right back there? Do we need to stop?"

Impa responded with a groan. Link turned in time to see her slump off to one side and hit the grass.

"Impa!" Zelda cried. She let go of Link and slid off Epona's back, landing in a heap next to Impa. Link noted that the back of Zelda's cloak was stained with Impa's blood, and dismounted. Impa cringed and avoided his gaze.

"I- I didn't want to be trouble... the princess is more important..." She pushed herself up on one elbow, but it slipped out from under her.

"Impa? Hey, c'mon, look at me." Link bent to examine the wound. He'd seen worse, but it still turned his stomach. She'd been gouged in the side, probably with a lance.

"She's unconscious. Princess, give me your cloak thing. I'm gonna turn it into a bandage."

Zelda took the cloak off. She, too, noticed that it was already soaked with blood, and dropped it in horror. Link took it from the grass, tore it in half and began to wrap it around Impa's waist.

"Will she be all right?" Zelda was clearly trying very hard to stay calm, but her voice cracked.

"I don't know, princess. I'm gonna put her back on the horse and get her to Lon Lon Ranch. The two of us will be walking. We'll have to move slow, or we'll only hurt her more."

They kept a slow and steady pace through the forest. Zelda stuck close to Epona, so close that Link was afraid she would get stepped on.

They reached the edge of the forest. Link stepped cautiously out of the trees and looked for lights and shadows across the field. He saw nothing.

"Stick close. There's no cover in the field," he whispered. Zelda nodded, but her eyes did not stray from Impa.

Every step seemed too short, as if they would never cover the distance between the woods and the ranch, but slowly, carefully, they made their way across Hyrule Field.


	5. Chapter 4

"So that's what happened." Link leaned back in his chair.

"I'd have a hard time believin' it from anyone but you." Malon pressed a mixture of herbs onto Impa's wound and wrapped a tight bandage around it. Link studied her face; a long time ago, he had collapsed at the gates of the ranch, injured and exhausted from a struggle against a pack of Wolfos, and she had cared for him. He remembered her tenderness and her reassuring smile.

There was no hope in her eyes now.

Impa woke again and smiled at Zelda, who had remained steadfast at her bedside for the past hour.

"Little princess..."

"Impa? Are you feeling better?"

"As well as I can."

Malon pulled Link away and spoke quietly into his ear.

"Link, I doubt she'll last the night. Nothin' I can do for a wound like that. I'm sorry."

"I know. I just... the poor kid. Impa seems to be at peace. But the kid..."

"All we can do is offer the both of 'em comfort." Malon clenched her jaw. "Those ain't healin' herbs. Just pain relief. Ain't a point in much else now."

Link looked back to the princess, who had climbed into the bed. Impa laid an arm over her and smiled. There was a gentleness in her expression that took Link back many years, to his childhood, to his mother's garden. He looked away. Malon put a hot drink into Link's hands and stepped out the front door, gesturing for him to follow.

They sat on the creaky old porch, drinking tea.

"I didn't think I'd see you again, Grasshopper."

"I always wanted to visit again. I still owe you for the help."

"You don't owe me nothin'."

"I just wish we didn't have to meet again this way," he said, standing.

"I hear ya there."

Link left his empty mug on the rail and grabbed a low branch on the nearest tree. With one good heave, he lifted himself up onto the branch and began making his way to the top, ducking branches. Malon gave a quizzical look, but didn't bother to ask.

"I'd be careful, Grasshopper. Skulltulas really like the trees around here. Dunno why."

There was a hiss, and a dead skulltula bounced off the porch rail and landed in the grass. Malon jumped for a pitchfork, but sat slowly down as the creature's legs curled.

"There's smoke over Castle Town." Link scanned the field for soldiers, but found none. "Doesn't look like anyone followed us." He hopped down from the tree to awning, and then to the ground. "I didn't want to put the ranch in danger."

Malon smirked. "Wouldn't bother me. Got a big stack a' bombs out under the windmill. They'd never see it coming." She paused. "I'm gonna check on Impa."

Inside, Zelda had fallen asleep. Impa still smiled, wrapping one of Zelda's golden curls around her finger.

"I think of her as my daughter," she said, her voice strained. "When her mother died... I took her as my own. I love her so much."

Link and Malon looked to each other, unsure of what to say.

"I beg you." The Shiekah winced at these words, and Link tried to keep his face reassuring- the Shiekah were known for their stubbornness, and asking for help was surely difficult for her. "Someone must take the princess to the Temple of Nayru. She must pray for guidance."

Link stayed silent. He was involved now, mostly against his will, and continuing to be involved would only dig him farther and farther into this mess. No one could stop him from walking out and leaving the whole thing behind. He'd done it before.

But this time, he couldn't.

"I'll take her," Link said.

A great weight seemed to lift from Impa's chest. She pulled the sleeping princess closer and closed her eyes.

No one in the room spoke again.


	6. Chapter 5

Zelda's cries woke Link the next morning. His stomach turned- he'd been dreading this since the night before. The princess clutched at the sheets, sobbing with her head against Impa's. Malon came in from the barn. Link shot a pleading look at her, and she moved toward Zelda to put comforting hands on her shoulders.

"I'm sorry, princess. I'm real sorry. T'ain't fair at all."

Zelda latched onto Malon and cried into her apron. She kept looking up, as if she wanted to say something, but found no words.

"T'ain't fair," Malon murmured again. Link stayed silent, eyes fixed on the body on the bed. He felt heavy, as if his limbs were made of lead. He had barely known this woman, but the princess's loss weighed on him, and every one of her muffled sobs struck someplace deep inside him- not his heart, or even his stomach, as it usually was. It struck memories and old wounds.

He pulled himself to his feet and approached the bed.

"We should bury her."

"Bury her with her sword," the princess said, out from under Malon's arms. "Her head to the east and her feet to the west, so the sun rises over her head and sets below her feet. Don't use a marker. That is how Shiekah must be buried."

"Malon, I'm borrowing a shovel. Where's Talon? I didn't even bother to ask," Link said.

"He's out at Lake Hylia." Malon ran her fingers through Zelda's hair; she had fallen quiet.

"I'm glad you didn't say Castle Town. I'll be back." Link headed out the door.

Link did not return until nearly sunset. Zelda and Malon sat near the bed, tying flowers together. Link was dirty and exhausted from digging, but the job wasn't finished yet. He slid his arms under Impa's body and carried her out into the sun.

They buried Impa's body in a shady circle of trees, at the foot of a hill near the ranch. Zelda tossed began to cry again as Link and Malon pushed the earth back into the grave. Link searched his mind for words of comfort, but there was nothing to be said.

He remembered the things people had said to him after his mother's death. _She's at peace. She's with the ancestors. She wouldn't want you to cry._ Empty words from people who knew there was no way to ease such a loss.

"Princess." Link knelt at her level and took his hat off. "I would be honored to be your escort to the Temple of Nayru."

She nodded, wiping more tears from her eyes, and brushed the dirt off her little silk skirt.

"C'mon back to the ranch," Malon said. "I'll get Epona loaded up with supplies. And I'll find the poor girl something to wear. Y'all should rest here another night."

"I'd rather not stay in one place too long," Link said. "If anyone did manage to follow us..."

"Makes sense," Malon said, her face grim. "Regardless, can't send you out without any food."

"I came back hoping to repay my debt, and instead I've doubled it." Link smiled wearily. "You're a saint, Malon."

"Hate to think 'bout what we've come to if plain ol' hospitality qualifies you fer sainthood." She hiked up her skirt and started up the hill toward the ranch again. Zelda followed, her face blank, lost in thought.

An arrow hit a tree next to Link's head with a startling _thud_. At once his sword flew from its sheath. A spear-wielding soldier charged at Link, and he leaped out of the way. Malon swung her shovel as hard as she could at the attacker's head. A satisfying clang confirmed impact.

The soldier collapsed, but the archer was nowhere to be seen. Another arrow whizzed past Link's head, and a third stuck into the ground near Malon's feet. Link followed its angle to a tree. The archer tried to back off, but fell under Link's sword. Link turned back toward the others, panting. The digging had been enough, the fighting had pushed him almost to his limit.

"Is everyone in one piece?" Malon asked.

Zelda sat wide-eyed on the hill with an arrow through her dress, under her arm. It had stuck harmlessly into the ground. She pulled it from her clothes and looked at the sharp tip.

"Princess, you all right?" Link shouted, stumbling forward.

"It only grazed me." Zelda sounded bewildered. "It's just a cut." Malon sighed with relief and looked to Link for advice.

"Let's get back to the ranch," Link growled. "Before anything else tries to kill us."


	7. Chapter 6

At Malon's insistence, Link and Zelda spent another night at the ranch. The next morning, she filled a saddle bag with bread and smoked meat. She entrusted Zelda with a basket of apples and cheese, and provided one of her childhood dresses with a cloak.

"Now, the two of you be careful," she said, patting Epona on the neck. "An' you too, Epona." A smile crossed her face, for a moment, but the three of them were still not much in a smiling mood.

"Goodbye, Malon," Link said, his voice quiet. "Thanks."

"Thank you, Malon," Zelda piped up, as Epona started forward. She clung to Link's back.

"Mr. Link, have you ever been to the Temple of Nayru before?"

"Once. And you can drop the _mister_ thing," he said, realizing immediately how callous he sounded. "Um... it's quite a sight. It's really..."

Link searched for words, but found none. He'd never been the faithful sort, and he'd never been much impressed by lavish architecture.

"Big," he finished.

"Oh," said Zelda, clearly grasping just as desperately as he was to be conversational.

A tense silence followed them until they reached a brook, where Link stopped Epona and dismounted for a drink. Zelda tried to make a graceful landing this time, but ended up in a heap in the grass again. She watched Link drink from the brook with his hands and followed his motions. Some of the water dribbled down her chin and neck and into her dress. She shivered. Link didn't seem to be having a problem.

"The Temple of Nayru isn't far from here. We'll just follow this stream for a while," Link said. He climbed back up onto Epona's back and offered the princess a hand up.

"By the way, Mister- um- _Link_- I have something that might be of use." Zelda reached into her dress pocket and handed Link a folded piece of parchment. He faltered.

"Your Highness, you should know now that I'm not much of a reader."

"What do you mean?"

"Never went to school, never had money for books. I can read, I'm just awfully damn slow." He unfolded the paper anyway and was relieved to find a map. "Oh..."

"It's magic," Zelda said, with a hint of excitement in her voice. "See the glowing spot?"

A small dot on the paper glowed, as if it were about to burst into flame, near a brook running through Hyrule Field.

"That's where we are right now," Link said, scratching his head. "Well, that's something."

"I found it in the palace. Um... I kind of stole it."

"You're more devious than I imagined." Link grinned and handed the map back. "Keep it safe. We may need it."

As they approached Lake Hylia, Zelda held on to Link's shoulders and looked out around him, gazing in awe at its sparkling blue waters. On the far side of the lake, great grey pillars framed a dark cave in the side of a cliff.

"You see that cave with the fancy door? That's the Temple of Nayru. Up on that cliff there, that's not Hyrule anymore."

"I've seen illustrations of it in my books," Zelda gasped, "But I never thought it'd be so big. How do we get in?"

"A boat. We'll just rent one here." Link tied Epona off to a fence outside a shack. Zelda stopped in front of a sign.

"Boat rentals, three hundred rupees," she read.

"_Three hundred?_" Link spluttered.

"That's not much," mused the princess. "Though I didn't have time to bring any money..."

"_Not much?_"

"Had to raise prices since the Scourge came around," said a man leaning out of the window. "Nobody comes down to Lake Hylia anymore."

"What if I told you that I'm trying to escort the princess-" he gestured to Zelda- "to the Temple of Nayru so she can pray for guidance?"

"I wouldn't believe a word of it." The man smirked. "If you're really hurting for rupees, I'll let you use the raft for cheap."

"How much?"

"Two hundred."

Link sighed and emptied his wallet into the man's waiting hands.


End file.
